Moses then said to Yahweh, 'May it please Yahweh, God
of the spirits that give life to all living creatures, to appoint a leader for
this community to be at their head in all their undertakings, a man who will
lead them out and bring them in, so that Yahweh's community will not be like
sheep without a shepherd.' Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Take Joshua (Yeshua) son
of Nun, a man in whom the spirit dwells, and lay your hand on him. Numbers 27:15-18

So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he
took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set
himself to teach them at some length.Mark 6:34

You had gone astray like sheep but now you have
returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.1 Peter 2:25

St. Peter's advice to the shepherds of Christ's flock:
I urge the elders among you, as a fellow-elder myself and a witness to the sufferings
of Christ, and as one who is to have a share in the glory that is to be
revealed: give a shepherd's care to the flock of God that is entrusted to you;
watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, as God wants; not for sordid
money, but because you are eager to do it. Do not lord it over the group which
is in your charge, but be an example for the flock. When the chief shepherd
appears, you will be given the unfading crown of glory. 1 Peter 5:1-4

Background: The man born
blind, healed by Jesus and questioned by the chief priests and Pharisees was
rejected from the covenant community by the Old Covenant authorities. Jesus
seeks him out and brings him to faith in Jesus as the Messiah and then accuses
the Scribes and Pharisees of being the ones who are "blind."

9:40 Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to
him, 'So we are blind are we?' 9:41
Jesus replied: 'If you were blind,
you would not be guilty, but since you say, 'We can see,' your guilt remains. 10:1 In
all truth (Amen, amen), I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold
through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a bandit. 2 He who
enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; 3 the
gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own
sheep and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all those that are his, he
goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know this voice. 5 They
will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not
recognize the voice of strangers.' 6
Jesus told them this parable but
they failed to understand what he was saying to them.

John 10:1: In all truth I tell you [Amen, amen] anyone who does not enter the
sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a
bandit.

Answer: The sheepfold is the Church, the community of God's re-born
New Covenant people. It is the Church as the sheepfold who brings the covenant
people together, and through the Sacraments into union with Christ.

Question: What then is the way or gate into the New Covenant of
holy believers?Answer: The gate is Jesus Christ, the one through whom
believers have access to the community which is Christ's Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches in citation # 754: The Church
is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway to which is
Christ. It is also the flock of which God himself foretold that he would be
the shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds, are
unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince
of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep.

Question: In this parable, what connection is there to the shepherd
discourses of the Old Testament prophets?

Answer: Entering through Christ is the only way into the New
Covenant He is establishing in fulfillment of the prophecies of the prophets
Jeremiah [31:31], Ezekiel [34:37], and Zechariah [9-14]. Jesus is the
fulfillment of Yahweh's promise when He said "I myself" will shepherd my sheep
in Ezekiel 34:11, 15, and 20. Jesus is the one promised in Ezekiel 34:23 when
God promised: I shall raise up one shepherd, my servant David, and put him
in charge of them, to pasture them; he will pasture them and be their shepherd.

Question: Are there other ways to enter the sheepfold/ Covenant?

Answer: No, only one way; though the gate. There is only one
gate and the gate is Christ. St. Augustine wrote of his role as a shepherd of
Jesus' flock: I seeking to enter in among you, that is, into your heart, to
preach Christ: if I were to preach other than that, I should be trying to enter
by some other way. Through Christ I enter in, not to your houses but to your
hearts. Through him I enter and you have willingly heard me speak of him.
Why? Because you are Christ's sheep and you have been purchased with Christ's
blood. St. Augustine, In Ioannis Evangelium [The Gospel of
John] 47, 2-3

Question: What is the significance of the use of the reference
to thieves and bandits or robbers?

Answer: Those who try to enter the Church other than through
Christ Jesus are not legitimate members of the Covenant and do harm to the
Church through their cunning [thieves] by deceiving the people and violence
[robbers] when they separate people from the Covenant in Christ through false
teaching. They enter "some other way" on a road or agenda of their own instead
of through Christ.

Question: Why is this "other way" an important difference?

Answer: This is a significance difference because in the 3
previous discourses in chapter 7 [see 7:23, 42, 44] Jesus has laid great stress
on the source from which He comes and that His origin from the Father. This is
the major difference between Himself and His opponents. Thieves and robbers do
not come from a known location or origin like a home or the pasture but instead
from some unknown, unfamiliar direction and by a "origin" and authority of
their own.

John 10:2-3: He who
enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him
in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them
out.

Answer:
Jesus is both the "gate" and the "gatekeeper." It is
only through Him that the shepherds/ministerial priesthood can enter in to
shepherd the Covenant people.

Question:
Who were the "shepherds" of God's chosen people in the
Old Testament? Hint: there is more than one answer.

Answer:
In the Old Testament God gave the people prophets like
Moses and Jeremiah, priests like Aaron and Samuel, and kings like David and
Solomon to "shepherd" them.

Question:
Who is promised to come as the Good Shepherd to the
chosen people and how does this "Shepherd" fulfill the imperfect roles of the
Old Testament "shepherds"?

Answer: Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, who was promised
to come as prophet, priest, and king of Israel.

Question: Why is Jesus
identified with the gate, the gatekeeper, and the Shepherd? What is the
"sheepfold" and the "flock" in Jesus' parable?

Answer: Jesus
identifies Himself as the "shepherd" and the "gate" as well as the "gatekeeper"
while the Church is both the sheepfold and the flock in this parable. He
applies to Himself the image of the gate or door with the understanding that He
is the only way into the "sheepfold" which is the Church and those who shepherd
His flock only do so under His, "the gatekeeper's" authority. The documents of
Vatican II teach: The Church is a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway
to which is Christ (cf. Jn. 10:1-10). It is also a flock, of which God
foretold that He himself would be the shepherd (cf. Isaiah 40:11; Ez 34:11ff), and
whose sheep, although watched over by human shepherds, are nevertheless at all
times led and brought to pastor by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince
of Shepherds (cf. John 10:11, 1 Peter 5:4) who gave his life for his sheep (cf. Jn
10:11-15). Lumen Gentium 6.

John 10:4-5: When he
has brought out all those that are his, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep
follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger, but will run
away from him because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.

In Wendell Keller's book
A Shepherd Looks at the 23 Psalms, Keller speaks of this phenomenon.
The sheep that have been raised by one shepherd will indeed run from the
unfamiliar voice of a stranger.

Question: In this
parable what is the shepherd leading the sheep out of and what does it
symbolize? Where is He leading them? Hint: What is the prophecy of Micah
2:12-13?

Answer
: Since His ministry is only to the Jews and
Israelites of the Galilee at this time, Christ is leading those who recognize
Him as the Messiah to follow him out of the Old Covenant and into the New. This
action is fulfilling the prophecy of God's holy prophet Micah: I shall
assemble the whole of Jacob, I shall gather the remnant of Israel, I shall gather them together like sheep in an enclosure. And like a flock within the fold,
they will bleat far away from anyone, their leader will break out first,
then all break out through the gate and escape, with their king leading
the way and with Yahweh at their head. Micah 2:12-13

The people may also
recall another Yeshua, Jesus' name in Hebrew, who was appointed by Yahweh as
Shepherd of the Covenant people in Numbers 27:15-23.

Question: What is
significant about this passage?

Answer: In this passage
Joshua is designated as Moses' successor to be a "shepherd" to the covenant
people, to be at their head in all their undertakings, a man who will lead
them out and bring them in, so that Yahweh's community will not be like sheep
without a shepherd [Numbers 27:17]. Our English word "Joshua" is in
Hebrew the same name which Jesus bore, Yeshua. Jesus is not only the new Moses
but the new divinely appointed Joshua who will "shepherd" His people into the
"Promised Land" of heaven.

the sheep hear his
voice: There are dangers for the
sheep if they do not recognize the shepherd's voice. The flock or individual
sheep can be deceived and led astray, just as those within the Church can be
deceived and led astray by following the voice of a false teacher. Jesus will
address the danger of the flock being threatened by false teachers in the next
passage.

Question: What divine
truth does Jesus teach the Church today using this illustration of the
shepherd's voice?

Answer: Since there are
"thieves" and "robbers/bandits" who may be calling to us, we must know the
voice of Christ so that we are not led astray. To study Sacred Scripture
through the teaching authority of the Church, the Magisterium, and to faithfully
receive the Sacraments is the best way to become familiar with our Shepherd's
voice. The Apostles' successors, the Bishops along with Peter's successor, the
Pope, help to guide the faithful people of "Peter's boat"'the Holy Catholic
Church. St. Jose Maria Escriva wrote in Christ is Passing By, page 34: Christ
has given his Church sureness in doctrine and a fountain of grace in the
Sacraments. He has arranged things so that there will always be people to
guide and lead us, to remind us constantly of our way. There is an infinite
treasure of knowledge available to us: the word of God kept safe by the Church,
the grace of Christ administered in the Sacraments and also the witness and
example of those who live by our side and have known how to build with their
good lives on a road of faithfulness to God.

Question: Has Jesus
accused some of the priests, Sadducees, Pharisees and Scribes of being thieves
and bandits as well as poor shepherds? See Mark 6:34 and 11:17-18.

Answer: Yes He has. In
Mark 6:34 both the priests and scribes heard Jesus accuse them of turning His
Father's house into a den of thieves/ bandits.

Question: Will you be
able to discern the "voice of the stranger" if he calls to you? Will you
recognize his call as false doctrine and will you be able to defend your faith?

John 10:6: Jesus told
them this parable but they failed to understand what he was saying to them.

They do not understand and so He patiently tries
again in John 10:7-18 by extending the sheep/shepherd metaphor of verses 1-5
into another parable. Jesus' patience reminds me of the prophecy of the prophet
Isaiah consoling God's covenant people after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC and his prophecy concerning the future destruction of the
Southern Kingdom of Judah: Here is Lord Yahweh coming with power, his arm
maintains his authority, his reward is with him and his prize precedes him. He
is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them
against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes. Isaiah
40:10-11

Question: Why do the
people fail to understand? In what other encounter did they also fail to
understand?

Answer: In every
encounter since chapter 5 there have been those who have accepted His words and
those who did not believe, fulfilling the prophecy of Simeon in Luke 2:24 and
Jesus' testimony about Himself in Luke 12:51-13.

Please read John 10:7-15: Jesus Identifies Himself as the
Good Shepherd

7 So Jesus spoke to them again: 'In all truth [Amen,
amen] I tell you, I am the gate of the sheepfold. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and bandits,
but the sheep took no notice of them. 9 I am
the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: such a one will go in and
out and will find pasture. 10 The thief
comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have
life and have it to the full. 11 I AM the
good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. 12 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the
sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf
coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; 13 he runs away because he is only a hired man and has
no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the
good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I lay down my life for my sheep.'

John 10:7-8: So Jesus
spoke to them again: 'In all truth [Amen, amen] I tell you, I am the gate of
the sheepfold. All who have come before me are thieves and bandits, but the
sheep took no notice of them.'

He begins both His
explanation of the parable in verses 1-5 and a second parable with the solemn
double "amen." "I AM the gate" is the 3rd of the 7 "I AM"
metaphors [without a predicate nominative] of John's Gospel. Jesus is again
stating that only those who "go in" through Him have the authority to guide the
flock [Church]. He is also the gate through which the flock must enter to come
to salvation. The imagery Jesus uses in this passage recalls Psalm 118:19-20: Open
for me the gates of saving justice (salvation), I shall go in and thank
Yahweh. This is the gate of Yahweh, where the upright go in. I thank you for
hearing (answering) me, and making yourself my Savior. It is significant
that this passage precedes Psalms 118:22-24, the passage Jesus applies to
Himself in Matthew 21:42: The stone which the builders rejected has become
the cornerstone; this is Yahweh's doing, and we marvel at it. This is the day
which Yahweh has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad. As well as the
next verse [Psalms 118: 24-26] which the people will shout out the Jesus as He
enters the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday: We beg you, Yahweh, save us
(Hosanna); we beg you Yahweh, give us victory! Blessed in the name of Yahweh is
he who is coming! [see John 12:13, Matthew 21:9]; and verse 26 which Jesus
will quote of Himself in Matthew 23:39

Question: Jesus'
reference to all who have come before me in verse 8does not
refer to the prophets and men of God in the Old Testament but to whom?

Answer: There are two
different ways to interpret this passage. Jesus may be referring to the
Pharisees who have come to challenge His authority and His origins in front of
the people, or to false messiahs who have preceded Him and will come after Him.
But "true Israelites" do not heed the voices of those who oppose Him [John
5:45; 8:42, 46-47].

In 10:5 Jesus spoke of
the "stranger" or false shepherds which the true sheep of the shepherd will run
away from "because they do not recognize the voice of strangers." In this
passage He now turns to the other threat to the flock and identifies that
threat as thieves and robbers/bandits, those who want to attack the Church lead
the flock astray. He also mentions the threat of thieves His last week in
Jerusalem in Matthew 21:13; Mark 27:38; and Luke 19:46 when He accuses the
authority of the Old Covenant Church of making His Father's house, the Temple
in Jerusalem, a "den of thieves."

History has shown that
enemies of the fold/Church have attacked the sheepfold in 2 ways in the attempt
to deceive the faithful and to scatter the flock:

Sometimes they enter the Church
(as a member of the covenant people) and attack stealthily from within =
thieves.

Sometimes they attack openly
from outside the fold/Church = robbers/bandits.

Question: Can you think
of some examples of these two forms of attack?

Answer:

The Protestant Reformation when
unfaithful priests scattered the "sheep" and stole them from the "fold."
Catholic politicians who vote in favor of abortion. Catholics who teach false
doctrine or stand in opposition to the teaching of the Magisterium.

Governments that openly
persecute Catholics and put priests into prison. Adolph Hitler was both a
thief from within and a robber by violence. He was a baptized Catholic who
promoted paganism and used the German government to persecute the Church.

John 10:9-10: Jesus repeats
the message that He is the gate and tells the crowd: 'I am the gate. Anyone
who enters through me will be safe: such a one will go in and out and will find
pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so
that they may have life and have it to the full.'

Explaining the meaning
of His parable in verses 1-5, Jesus now identifies Himself as "the gate" to the
sheepfold using the significant words "I AM" which recalls the divine name
revealed to Moses in the experience of the burning bush, this is a "burning
bush" experience for these people but few will recognize the significance and
come to belief.

Question: In verse 9
Jesus speaks about giving abundant pasture; what does He mean? What does
Christ give to the Church in abundance?

Answer: He gives the
abundant graces that will flow from Christ to His Church in the Sacraments to
enrich the lives of each individual on their journey of salvation and the
Church's journey through time to the final hour of mankind.

John 10:11-13: I AM
the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The
hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him,
abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then
the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; he runs away because he is only a
hired man and has no concern for the sheep.
Jesus identifies Himself
as the "good shepherd" using the significant words "I AM" [without a predicate
nominative] for the fourth time.

Question: What prophecy
from the books of the prophets in last week's lesson would the people listening
to Jesus connect to His statement?

Answer: Probably Ezekiel
34:1-12 especially verse 9-12: The Lord Yahweh says this: 'Look, I am
against the shepherds. I shall take my flock out of their charge and
henceforth not allow them to feed my flock. And the shepherds will stop
feeding themselves, because I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths to stop
them from being food for them. For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look,
I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it. As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is
with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep.'

Question: What future
event is Jesus speaking of in verse 11?Answer: His death. In
his Homilies on St. John St. John Chrysostom writes: "..he is
speaking of his passion, making it clear this would take place for the
salvation of the world and that he would go to it freely and willingly" [59,3].
In verse 10 Jesus spoke of the riches of the Sacraments and now He
speaks of the laying down of His very life. Pope St. Gregory the Great
comments on this passage: He did what he said he would do; he gave his life
for his sheep, and he gave his body and blood in the Sacrament to nourish with
his flesh the sheep he had redeemed [In Evangelia homiliae, 14].

This is the first of 5 times that St. John will
repeat Christ's willingness to lay down His life for His sheep:

...and as I have
power to lay it down so I have power to take it up again...

Question: In the context
of the shepherd caring for the sheep analogy why is Jesus' statement shocking
to the crowd listening to Him?Answer:
A good shepherd
is expected to defend and protect the flock but he is not expected to die for
the sheep.

Although it may seem
contradictory to us that Jesus calls Himself both the Good Shepherd in verses
11-18 as well as the Gate in verses 7 and 9, this sheepfold imagery was very
familiar to Jesus' audience. It is still common in many parts of the world, as
it was in 1st century AD Judea, to bring a number of flocks of sheep
together at night into one stone enclosed sheepfold where they could be watched
over by a few shepherds who protected them from predators. It was common for
stone-enclosed sheepfolds not to have a gate so the shepherd would sleep in the
opened entrance to the sheepfold to protect the sheep. The shepherd in effect
used his own body as the protective "gate" to the sheepfold. In the morning
the others shepherds would return, the gateway would be opened and each
shepherd would call his own sheep. Each sheep knew the sound of its own
shepherd's voice and so they would come to him to be led out of the pen.

Question: How will
Jesus' body become the "gate" into the sheepfold?Answer:
It is from His
body on the cross that water and blood will flow, the water and blood of the
Church in baptism and Eucharist.

Question: What
characterizes a "hired man"?Answer:
The "hired man"
only works for his wage. He does not have any emotional attachment to the
sheep and in times of inconvenience, danger or risk will leave or not live up
to the task at hand.

Question: Who are those
who are symbolized by the "hired man" in verse 12? How is the "hired man
different from the "good shepherd" and who is the "wolf"?Answer:
The hired man is
the priest who does not unselfishly "shepherd" God's flock. He avoids
unpopular issues and does not teach on controversial topics but leaves the
flock to fall into sin. The "wolf" is the world in opposition of the Word of
God. Unlike the hired man the good shepherd is the one who seeks Christ's
glory. He is the priest who does not fear to reprove sinners. St. Peter
addressed this difference in his letter of 1 Peter 5:1-4: I urge you [...]
give a shepherd's care to the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over
it, not simply as a duty but gladly, as God wants; not for sordid money, but
because you are eager to do it" . [...] "When the chief shepherd appears, you
will be given the unfading crown of glory.

St. Jose Maria Escriva reminds us: The holiness of Christ's
Spouse has always been shown, as it can be seen today, by the abundance of good
shepherds. But our Christian faith, which teaches us to be simple, does not
bid us be simple-minded. There are hirelings who keep silent, and there are
hirelings who speak with words which are not those of Christ. That is why, if
the Lord allows us to be left in the dark even in little things, if we feel
that our faith is not firm, we should go to the good shepherd. He enters by
the door as of right. He gives his life for others and wants to be in word and
behavior a soul in love. He may be a sinner too, but he trusts always in Christ's
forgiveness and mercy. Christ is Passing By, 34

John 10:14-15: I am the good shepherd; I
know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the
Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.

For a second time Jesus identifies Himself of the good shepherd of
Ezekiel chapter 34 and for the second time promises to die for His sheep.

I know my own and my
own know me.. This is the essence of a
relationship with Christ. This is knowledge in the sense of the "covenant
relationship". In the Biblical sense
"knowledge" is not simply the conclusion of an intellectual process, but it is
the fruit of an experience, a personal encounter. Knowledge of God is an
intimate association through the covenant relationship. In Hosea 2:21-22 the
prophet speaks of the day when Yahweh will redeem Israel as His Bride and when
she will call Yahweh "my husband" and no longer call Him "my baal," which is
the address of a concubine or a slave to her master [see Hosea 2:18-20/16-18]: I
shall betroth you in uprightness and justice, and faithful love and
tenderness. Yes, I shall betroth you to myself in loyalty and in the knowledge
of Yahweh. Knowledge of Yahweh and hesed,
in Hebrew = faithful covenant love cannot be
separated [also see 4:2; 6:6]. This knowledge is not merely intellectual
acknowledgement. God "makes himself known" to humans when He enters into covenant
with them and shows His love [hesed] for
them by the blessings He confers. In this intimate relationship God's Covenant
people "know" Him when they faithfully observe God's covenant, when they show
thankfulness for His gifts, and when they return love for love in a marital covenant
relationship between God and His Bride the Church [see Proverbs 2:5; Isaiah
11:2; and 58:2]. Jesus will take this definition of divine love further when
He calls us not just to love in the context of the covenant but to give
ourselves sacrificially and unselfishly as He gave Himself for the Church,
redefining the Greek word agape, which
meant spiritual love, to mean in the Christian context of self-sacrificial
love.

Please read John 10:16-21: The Conclusion of the Good
Shepherd Discourse and Jesus' Prophecy of His Death and Resurrection:16 And there are other sheep I have that are not of this
fold, and I must lead these too. They too will listen to my voice, and there
will be only one flock, one shepherd. 17The Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one
takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free will, as I have power to lay it down,
so I have power to take it up again; and this is the command I have received
from my Father. 19These words caused a fresh division among the Jews. 20Many
said, 'He is possessed, he is raving; why do you listen to him?' 21Others
said, 'These are not the words of a man possessed by a devil: could a devil
open the eyes of the blind?'

John 10:16: And there are other sheep I have that are not of this
fold, and I must lead these too. They too will listen to my voice, and there
will be only one flock, one shepherd.

There cannot be two
covenants. There can only be one covenant and one Church because there can
only be one Bride [see Many Religions-One Covenant, Joseph Cardinal
Ratzinger; Hebrews 8:13]. Israel the Bride of Yahweh is transformed into the
new Israel, the Bride of Christ when she is born from His side at the cross in
the water and the blood just as Eve, the bride came from the side of her
bridegroom Adam. Adam was not willing to die for his bride when confronted by
Satan but Christ offers Himself as the perfect sacrifice for His Bride, the
Church. It is the promise of Hosea 2:18-20 and the promise of the New Covenant
in Jeremiah 31:31. There is one flock and one Shepherd who is Jesus Christ the
supreme Shepherd over the one universal Church [Hebrews 13:20]. The spiritual
authority of those who shepherd the flock as Christ's representatives [Peter
and the other Apostles] is authority that comes directly from Christ who gives
them a share in His saving mission [see John 21:15-17 and CCC# 553 and 754].

Question:
Who are the "other sheep" who will become part of this
New Covenant fold?

Answer:
These are the Gentiles who will be gathered into the
Messiah's flock alongside the restored sheep of Israel [John 11:52]. These
"other sheep' come into the covenant relationship through Christ. All of these
who listen to His voice will be gathered into the one flock that Jesus leads to
eternal life. This is Zechariah's prophecy of the sheep who will be led by
their shepherd who break out of the sheepfold and are led by their king. Jesus
is both the shepherd and the king of David's line.

John 10:17-18: The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in
order to take it up again. No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own
free will, as I have power to lay it down, so I have power to take it up again;
and this is the command I have received from my Father.

Question:
How is this statement proof of Jesus' divinity? When
is His prophecy fulfilled?

Answer: Only God
Himself could have such absolute power over life and death. This prophecy is
fulfilled on the cross with His sacrifice and in His Resurrection after 3
days.and this is the
command I have received from my Father. CCC# 607: The desire to embrace his Father's plan of redeeming love
inspired Jesus' whole life, for his redemptive passion was the very reason of
his Incarnation....

The Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. The sacrifice of Jesus for the redemption of the
whole world expressed His unity of will and His loving communion with God the
Father. At the end of the parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:14 Jesus
states that the Father's love excludes no one: it is never the will of your
Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. In this
statement Jesus affirms that He came to give his life as a ransom for many, and
that His sacrifice is not limited but is intended for all of humanity. The
Church, following the teaching of the Apostles, affirms that Jesus died for all
humanity without exception: There is not, never has been, and never will be
a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer. See CCC# 605.

John 10:19-21: These
words caused a fresh division among the Jews. Many said, 'He is possessed, he
is raving; why do you listen to him?' Others said, 'These are not the words of
a man possessed by a devil: could a devil open the eyes of the blind?

The crowd continues to
be divided over who is this man from the Galilee but with each encounter He
wins more disciples.

THE FEAST OF DEDICATION

[The decision is made to kill Jesus]

Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of
Israel, made it a law that the days of the dedication of the altar should be
celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the
twenty-fifth of the month Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness. 1 Maccabees 4:59

As with all the other
feast days on which Jesus has come to Jerusalem to teach, He makes a direct
link between Himself and the core significance of the festival. This is the
first time Jesus will use the title "Son of God" when speaking about Himself,
even though He has repeatedly contrasted Himself as the Son who does the will
of God the Father. The use of the title "Son of God" at this festival [verse
36] is a virtual synonym for "Messiah" and would be understood by 1st
century AD Jews in that way.

Please read John 10:22-30: The Decision to Kill Jesus is
Made During the Feast of Dedication22It was the time of the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the portico of Solomon.
24The Jews gathered round him and said, 'How much
longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us
openly.' 25Jesus replied: 'I have told you, but you do not
believe. The works I do in my Father's name are my witness; 26but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of
mine. 27The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I
know them and they follow me. 28I give
them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from
my hand. 29The Father, for what he has given me, is greater
than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand. 20The Father and I are one.

John 10:22-24: It was
the time of the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was
in the Temple walking up and down in the portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered
round him and said, 'How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If
you are the Christ, tell us openly.'

Jesus has gone to the Temple to teach. He is pacing up and down in the portico of Solomon, a covered colonnade
on the eastern side of the outer court of the Temple. According to the 1st
century AD Jewish historian Flavius Josephus the people believed this porch was
all that remained from Solomon's original Temple destroyed by the Babylonians
in the 6th century BC [Antiquities of the Jews, 1511.3; 20.9.7;
Jewish Wars 5.5.1]. The portico formed the boundary of the Temple precincts and in Acts 3:11 it is the area where Peter and John are standing with
the crippled man they have healed: Everyone came running towards them in
great excitement, to the Portico of Solomon, as it is called...

The Feast of Dedication,
known by the Hebrew word for dedication "Chanukah" [also as Hanukkah] is
celebrated in our month of December. It was not a Sacred Feast ordained by
God, but it was instead a national feast instituted by the people. It was
instituted by the great military leader Judas Maccabeus to celebrate the rededication
of the Temple in Jerusalem in 164BC after it had been desecrated by the
Syrian-Greek army and later liberated by the victorious Jewish army. For three
years from 167-164BC the Syrian Greeks had desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem by erecting the idol of Baal Shamen [the Mesopotamian version of Zeus] on the
sacrificial altar [1 Maccabees 1:54 and 2 Maccabees 6:1-7]. This profaning of
the Temple came to an end when Judas Maccabeus drove out the Syrians on the 25th
of Chislev [1 Maccabees 4:41-61]. The history behind this feast is recorded in
1 and 2 Maccabees, two books that are no longer part of the Jewishor Protestant
canon. The Jewish Tanach [Old Testament] no longer has any record of the
events that led to the formation of this feast.

The celebration of the
rededication of the Temple became a feast similar to the 8 day Feast of
Tabernacles [Shelters] which was celebrated in the early fall and which
commemorated the giving to the Tabernacle in the desert and the sovereignty of
God. It was also during the Feast of Tabernacles [Shelters] that Solomon's Temple had been dedicated [2 Chronicles 5:3-7:1]. The dedication of Solomon's Temple was accompanied by the coming of the shekinah glory of God and resulted in
the divine lighting of the fire upon the sacrificial altar [2 Chronicles 7:1].
As a result this feast developed an impressive light celebration enacted each
night during the feast [discussed in chapter 8]. Like the Feast of Tabernacles,
Chanukah became a "feast of lights" and even the palm and willow branches of
the Tabernacles [Shelters] celebration became part of the ritual of this new
feast: They kept eight festal days with rejoicing, in the manner of the
feast of Shelters, remembering how, not long before at the time of the feast of
Shelters, they had been living in the mountains and caverns like wild beasts.
Then, carrying thyrsuses, leafy boughs and palms, they offered hymns to him who
had brought the cleansing of his own holy place to a happy outcome. They also
decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole Jewish nation should
celebrate those same days every year. 2 Maccabees 10:6-8.

However, God did not
light the sacred altar of sacrifice in 165BC at the re-taking of the Temple nor did He light the altar at the dedication a year later but according to the
Talmud [Megillat Taanit 9] there was a miracle. It took 8 days to rebuild the
altar and during that time the one vial of consecrated olive that was found
provided a continuous supply of oil to light the golden Menorah until the
priests could return to the Temple with more oil 8 days later. Therefore, this
feast was celebrated with lights, with recognition of the ministerial
priesthood as the shepherds of Yahweh's flock, and as a fulfillment of the
prophecies of Daniel 8:1-12 and 11:22-32. These prophecies were fulfilled in
the defeat of the Syrian Greeks and the restoration of Judah to national independence for the first time since 586BC. Since this feast also celebrated
freedom from foreign oppression Jews in the first century AD, suffering under
the domination of the Romans, naturally were consumed with thoughts of national
deliverance. The biblical promises of the Messiah as a conquering Davidic king
were foremost in the minds of the people which led to the question posed to
Jesus in verse 24 which demands "don't give us parables...tell us plainly are you
the Messiah?"

John 10:24-25:Jesus
replied: 'I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my
Father's name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep
of mine.'

Once again we have the
reoccurring theme of "listening" to the voice of Jesus which is the command of
Yahweh in Deuteronomy 18:19: I shall put my words into his mouth and he will
tell them everything I command him. Anyone who refuses to listen to my words,
spoken by him in my name, will have to render an account to me. Jesus has
taught with authority and He has performed miracles greater than any former
prophet of Israel. He has done enough to provide his interrogators with an
answer to their question. These teachings and "signs" are greater than any
verbal statement because they are all in fulfillment of the prophesies of the
holy prophets of God concerning the identity and mission of the Messiah. In
Luke 22:67b Jesus tells them, 'If I tell you, you will not believe me.' Here
in verse 25He tells them they are not His sheep therefore they do not
follow Him. It is the blindness of the Jewish leadership that prevents them
from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David. There spiritual
defect is contrasted in Matthews Gospel by two different sets of blind men; one
set in Matthew 9:27 and a later set in Jericho in Matthew 20:32. In both
incidents the blind men all call out, Have pity on us, son of David. To
call Jesus "son of David" is the same as calling Him the Messiah. The irony is
that these men who are physically in darkness have seen the "Light" spiritually
while the Pharisees and others have physical sight yet walk in darkness.

Question:
But what is the other reason He will not give them a
definitive answer to their question: "Are you the Messiah, the son of
David?"Answer:
Because when He does give a definitive answer that He
is the Messiah that statement will be the final seal to His death sentence and
He still needs a little more time.

John 10:26-30: The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know
them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and
no one will ever steal them from my hand. The Father, for what he has given
me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand.
The Father and I are one.

For the 3rd time
Jesus declares that He and the Father are one! He makes the same claim He made
in John 5:17 and 8:58. Jesus and the Father are one because they do the same
work and stand in the same relation to the "sheep". God the Father
accomplished His work in the world uniquely through the Son.

Question:
How do the sheep "know" Jesus?Answer:
They know Him in a covenantal relationship.

Question: To know Christ
in a covenant relationship promises what blessings?Answer:
Eternal life and
a bond with Christ which cannot be broken, unless the baptized believer
personally rejects Christ as Savior and Lord. The protection that Jesus
provides for those who believe in Him and remain faithful is equivalent to the
Father's divine protection.

Notice Jesus says I
give them eternal life'in the present tense;not "I will give".
The gift is present and continuous!

Question: What does
Jesus mean when He says The Father and I are one.?Answer:
Jesus is
claiming unity and equality with the Godhead. God the Father and God the Son
are united in the loving embrace of the God the Holy Spirit. The unity of the
most holy Trinity cannot be divided even when we distinguish between the three
Divine Persons. St. Augustine instructs us: Listen to the Son himself, 'I
and the Father are one.' He did not say, 'I am the Father' or 'I and the Father
are one [Person].' But when he says 'I and the Father are one,' notice the two
words 'we are' and 'one'..[..] for if they are one, then they are not diverse;
if 'we are', then there is both a Father and a Son. [In Ioannis Evangelius-
The Gospel of John, 36,9].

Jesus is one in substance with the Father as far as
divine essence or nature is concerned, but the Father and the Son are distinct
Persons. Paul VI, Creed of the People of God, 10: We believe then in the
Father who eternally begets the Son; in the Son, the Word of God, who is
eternally begotten; in the Holy Spirit, the uncreated Person who proceeds from
the Father and the Son as their eternal Love.

The Jews do not miss the
implication of His words.

Please read John 10: 31-42:31The
Jews fetched stones to stone him, 32so Jesus
said to them, 'I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which of
these are you stoning me?' 33The Jews
answered him, 'We are stoning you, not for doing a good work, but for
blasphemy; though you are only a man, you claim to be God.' 34Jesus answered: Is it not written in you Law: 'I
said, you are gods'? 35So it uses the word
'gods' of those people to whom the word of God was addressed and Scripture
cannot be set aside. 36Yet to someone whom
the Father has consecrated and sent into the world you say, 'You are
blaspheming' because I said, 'I am Son of God.' 37If I am not doing my Father's work, there is no need
to believe me; 38but if I am doing it, then even
if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you
will know for certain that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. 39They
again wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded their clutches. 40He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to the district where John had been baptizing at first and he stayed there. 41Many people who came to him said, 'John gave no
signs, but all he said about this man was true'; and many of them believed in
him.

John 10:31-33:The
Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many
good works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?' The Jews
answered him, 'We are stoning you, not for doing a good work, but for
blasphemy; though you are only a man, you claim to be God.'

The Jews understand
Jesus to be saying that He is God but they interpret His words as blasphemy. The
punishment for blasphemy under the Sinai covenant is death by stoning
[Leviticus 24:16].

Question: As they pick
up stones to execute Him, Jesus sarcastically asks them what question?Answer:
He asks them for
which of His many good works will they kill Him.

Question: What is their
answer? Hint: see verse 33Answer:
They respond
that it is for His claims for divinity –the sin of blasphemy that they condemn
Him.

John 10:34-36:Jesus
answered: Is it not written in you Law: 'I said, you are gods'? So it uses the
word 'gods' of those people to whom the word of God was addressed and scripture
cannot be set aside. Yet to someone whom the Father has consecrated and sent
into the world you say, 'You are blaspheming' because I said, 'I am Son
of God.'

In referring to "the
Law" Jesus could be referring to the Old Testament in general or just to the
Pentateuch, the first 5 books of Moses as a whole. The Scripture Jesus quotes
is from Psalms 82:6. This psalms is a prayer for God to punish the corrupt
shepherds of Israel whose function as instruments of God's justice made them in
a sense 'gods' [Deuteronomy 21:6; Deuteronomy 1:17; 19:17;
Psalms 58]. In His
reply Jesus applies exegetical technique to Scripture and uses a "from lesser
to greater" kind of logic that was a standard formula for debate among 1st
century AD Jewish scholars. His argument is: if corrupt leaders of Israel, who
are mere mortals, can be given the title 'gods' in Scripture when they serve in
their duties as God's representatives, how can they bring charges of blasphemy
against Him when it is in His position as the consecrated envoy of Yahweh that
He calls Himself "Son of God"? This is classic 1st century AD rabbinical
logic. Note: Jesus might also have quoted Exodus 7:1 where Moses is called
'god'. The Hebrew word for gods, elohim, could refer to any exalted
individual who yielded great power without implying that Yahweh wasn't the one
true God.

Question: What does
Jesus mean when He says Scripture cannot be set aside..?

Answer:
Jesus is
affirming, as He has in past references to Sacred Scripture, that Scripture
consists of the very words of God, and its teaching is as true as God Himself
and is reliable testimony which cannot be ignored or set aside.

Question: When Jesus
says, to someone to whom the Father has consecrated, it is an
interesting choice of words considering the feast the people are celebrating.
What is the irony in Jesus' words?

Answer:
The people are
celebrating the rededication of the Temple. The word "consecrated" means "to
be set apart as holy". Jesus, God the Son, is "set apart" by God the Father to
consecrate the world to truth [John 17:19]. This is a feast that celebrates
the consecration of the Second Temple. This old sanctuary is to be replaced by
the new and consecrated Temple that is Jesus' body. The building may be holy
but its holiness cannot compare with the holiness of Jesus' body, the true Temple [John 2:21].

John 10:37-38:If I
am not doing my Father's work, there is no need to believe me; but if I am
doing it, then even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the
work I do; then you will know for certain that the Father is in me and I am in
the Father.

Question: What do the
"works" of Jesus reveal about Him?Answer:
The "works" of
Jesus are to authenticate His mission in the eyes of the people and to support
His claims to divinity. He has show absolute power over creation and that He
can suspend the laws of nature. These works give testimony to His true nature.

John 10:39-40:They
again wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded their clutches. He went back
again to the far side of the Jordan to the district where John had been
baptizing at first and he stayed there. Many people who came to him said,
'John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true'; and many of them
believed in him.

Jesus' ministry is
drawing to a close. It is December and in March He will make His last journey
to Jerusalem. Therefore, He returns to the site where His ministry began on
the far or east side of the Jordan River where He was baptized by His kinsman
John. John's work of preparation is still producing results. The crowds who
accepted the Baptist's message are now following Jesus. They believe John's
testimony of Him: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God [John 1:34].

As we close this chapter perhaps it is time to reflect on
our own "works". What do our "works" reveal about us? Are we living in union
with the will of God working in our lives? My
prayer for you is from Hebrews 13:20: I pray that the God of peace, who
brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by
the blood that sealed an eternal covenant, may prepare you to do his will in
every kind of good action; effecting in us all whatever is acceptable to
himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.